Chapter 14552 Have you lost your mind?

Chapter 14552 Have you lost your mind?

"Young friend, please wait a moment." Lin Ruhai suddenly called out to him.

Ling Xiao turned around, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Lin Ruhai smiled gently: "Young friend, don't rush off. I can't let you make a wasted trip. I know of an ancient secret realm that is about to open. This secret realm is called the 'Myriad Manifestations Secret Realm,' a place left behind by an ancient powerful being. It contains countless opportunities and inheritances, as well as rare and precious materials needed to break through realms. If you have nothing urgent to attend to, would you be willing to accompany me? Perhaps you can obtain a great opportunity."

"A secret realm?" Ling Xiao's heart stirred, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He currently needed to improve his strength to deal with the threats from the Holy Temple headquarters and the Extinction Celestial Venerable, and this ancient secret realm was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.

“Exactly.” Lin Ruhai nodded and smiled. “That secret realm is quite mysterious, containing countless small worlds, where danger and opportunity coexist. I gained a lot of benefits from the secret realm back then, and now that I’ve escaped, I want to explore it again to find an opportunity to break through to the pseudo-realm master realm.”

Ling Xiao pondered for a moment. With Ji Mingkong managing the Kang Alliance and no major issues plaguing the Batian Empire, this opportunity was indeed not to be missed. He cupped his hands and said, "Since you have so kindly invited me, then I will trouble you."

Lin Ruhai laughed heartily, his voice filled with delight: "Excellent! With a prodigy like you by my side, this journey to the secret realm will surely be even more exciting!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ruhai, Dao Sha, and Ling Xiao transformed into three streaks of light—one azure, one black, and one mysterious—slicing through the vast starry sky and disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

……

The Overlord Empire, Lin Yuan City.

Inside the study of the temporary palace, Ji Mingkong and Shangguan Yue were dealing with a mountain of jade slips and documents at their desks.

Since the establishment of the Kang Alliance, the coordination of various forces, the allocation of resources, and the division of territories have become far more complex. However, Ling Xiao, the nominal leader of the alliance, is a hands-off manager, entrusting all the trivial matters to the two women while he goes around seeking opportunities.

Although Ji Mingkong and Shangguan Yue have not yet reached the Emperor Realm in cultivation, they are already influential figures in the Silent Extinction Realm.

Even a powerful figure like Qin Yingxue, the Lord of the Silent Realm, showed great respect to the two of them... Behind them stood Ling Xiao, who held the power of life and death, and the powerful Batian Empire, whose strength was as numerous as clouds.

On this day, Yu Jianzi of the Sword Sect once again set foot on the land of Lin Yuan City.

He was about to step into the palace gates when he was stopped by two guards of the Overlord Empire, clad in black armor and exuding a deep and imposing aura. The guards were expressionless, holding their spears horizontally, and said in a deep voice, "This is a restricted area of ​​the palace. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Please stop here."

Yu Jianzi frowned slightly, suppressing his impatience, and said in a deep voice, "Please inform Empress Mingkong that Yu Jianzi of the Sword Sect has an old friend visiting."

"The Empress is busy with the affairs of the alliance and is not receiving guests at the moment." The guard's tone remained cold, leaving no room for compromise.

"Busy with government affairs?" Yu Jianzi's eyes darkened, and he looked past the guards into the hall, where he saw figures moving about, indeed a scene of bustling activity. He took a deep breath and said, "Then inform the Overlord Emperor that I have important matters to discuss with him."

"His Majesty is away on training and is not currently in the city," the guard replied succinctly.

A glint flashed in Yu Jianzi's eyes, and he secretly thought that Ling Xiao was indeed not there! He said no more, nodded slightly to the guards, turned around and left with a flick of his sleeve, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the street.

A moment later, above a floating cloud thousands of miles away.

Lin Yijian, the sect leader of the Sword Sect, stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by a faint azure Daoist aura. His robes fluttered without wind, and his eyes were as deep as an abyss as he looked down at the vast land below.

Yu Jianzi stepped forward quickly, bowed, and whispered, "Sect Master, Ling Xiao is not in Lin Yuan City, and Ji Mingkong and Shangguan Yue are busy with government affairs. Although the city is heavily guarded, there are no top experts stationed there... This is a golden opportunity!"

Upon hearing Yu Jianzi's report, Lin Yijian's eyes suddenly turned cold, sweeping over him like an icy blade, his tone carrying a hint of reprimand: "Have you been blinded by the ruins of the Holy Temple and lost your mind?"

Yu Jianzi's face stiffened, and he stammered, "Sect Master... if our Sword Sect can obtain the forbidden area of ​​the Holy Hall, our inheritance can be further advanced. Why miss this opportunity?"

Lin Yijian looked down at the magnificent Lin Yuan City below, his voice low and calm: "Don't you know the strength of the Batian Empire now? Not to mention the two mysterious women behind Ling Xiao, just the remnants of the Holy Hall, the Blade Fiends and Sword Fiends gathered under his command, as well as some of the forces of the Realm Lord's Mansion, are enough to make my Sword Sect pay the painful price of annihilation."

He paused, his tone growing increasingly grave: "Ling Xiao may appear easygoing and carefree on the surface, but he is ruthless and decisive at heart. During the previous great battle, our Sword Sect remained inactive, but afterwards he was eager to claim the most lucrative spoils. He is already displeased. If we rashly use force now, given his temperament, he might actually dare to lead his army to attack our Sword Sect and uproot it!"

Destroy the whole family!

Yu Jianzi shuddered, his face turning deathly pale. The former Ling Xiao would naturally have been powerless to do this, but the current Batian Empire, wielding the Soul-Devouring Pill, controlling the core power of the Holy Hall, and possessing top-tier combat forces like the Blade Fiend and Sword Fiend, certainly had the strength.

Moreover, the terror of those two mysterious women still terrifies him to this day.

Yu Jianzi's expression shifted repeatedly, and after a long while, he asked reluctantly, "Could it be... that we should just give up?"

“Giving up is of course out of the question.” Lin Yijian shook his head, a calculating glint in his eyes. “But we can’t be forceful; we can only take a roundabout approach. Ling Bi is Ling Xiao’s cousin. She has been close to him since childhood and has a sense of belonging to our Sword Sect. If we start with her, appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her, and then offering her substantial benefits, we might be able to persuade Ling Xiao to cede the old site of the Holy Hall. The time will be right when she comes out of seclusion.”

After speaking, Lin Yi's sword figure rippled like water, transforming into a streak of green light and dissipating into the void.

Yu Jianzi took a deep look at the outline of Lin Yuan City in the distance, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes, but he could only suppress his impulse, turn around and transform into a stream of light and disappear.

A moment after the two left, a figure in white quietly appeared above the clouds. It was Lu Fan, the former Jade Sword Master of the Holy Hall who had submitted to Ling Xiao.

He gazed in the direction where the two had disappeared, his eyes gleaming with cold light, and a chilling killing intent emanated from his body. As a surrendered person who had taken the Soul-Devouring Pill, he had long since bound his honor and disgrace to Lingxiao, and naturally, the Sword Sect's small actions could not escape his surveillance.

After standing silently for a moment, Lu Fan's figure transformed into a white light and instantly disappeared from the spot, speeding towards Lin Yuan City... He needed to report this matter to Ji Mingkong and Shangguan Yue as soon as possible.

……

Deep within the endless dense forest, the miasma was as black as ink, and towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, their branches twisted like dragons. The air was filled with a complex atmosphere of decaying vegetation and spiritual energy.

Ling Xiao walked through the air, his black robes fluttering in the forest breeze. Beside him stood the refined Lin Ruhai in his green robe and Dao Sha, his body shrouded in black. The three figures moved like streaks of light through the dense forest.